Review: Stargate

Egyptologist James Spader is ridiculed for some of his wild theories about the origins of the Egyptian Pyramids, but he might just get a chance to prove he is right. He is hired by the US Government to translate what appear to be Egyptian hieroglyphics on a giant circular ring. Given the film’s title, you might surmise that the ring is a Stargate, a portal between worlds. Spader is asked to join a military team headed by suicidal Colonel Kurt Russell, a still-grieving father whose son’s death he blames himself for. The team will travel through the Stargate, and investigate the world on the other side. However, Russell is given secret orders of his own, in case the situation on the other side is of threat to our world. Not surprisingly (at least for anyone who has ever seen a movie before) they encounter a race of innocent slaves (who may or may not be displaced human beings) being ruled over by a sinister, megalomaniacal entity known as Ra (Jaye Davidson), whose cohorts seem inspired by (or are descendants of) Ancient Egyptian Gods. Mili Avital and Erick Avari play slaves, the former of whom develops a crush on nerdy Spader. Viveca Lindfors is a colleague who initially brings Spader onto the Stargate project, Leon Rippy is a military General, French Stewart and John Diehl are soldiers, and in a small role, Djimon Hounsou (here only credited by his first name) plays the most Nubian-looking of the ‘Egyptian Gods’.

This 1994 Roland Emmerich (The solid “Universal Soldier”, the ginormous blockbuster “Independence Day”, and the enjoyable environmental disaster pic “The Day After Tomorrow”) surprise box-office hit is another film that I can remember all kinds of things about having seen it in its theatrical release. Most prominently, I remember highly anticipating the film beforehand, and whilst not being disappointed as such afterwards (I liked it well enough), I was surprised by how different the film was to what I had expected. It must be a ‘Roland Emmerich thing’ because I had similar thoughts in anticipation of the subsequent uber-blockbuster “ID4” and got a much different film when I finally saw it (However, a little genuine disappointment crept in this time, and I wasn’t alone. We all thought it was going to be better, didn’t we?) Anyway, I was surprised at how it was slightly sillier and campier than I was expecting back in ’94, but how about now in 2017? Would my feelings change with the passage of time?

Largely, no. This is a pretty entertaining film with one of the more interesting high-concept storylines you’re likely to find. The mixture of sci-fi/action and faux Ancient Egyptian history make for an entertaining ride while it lasts. Chief among the attributes of the film are the rock-solid performances by Spader and Russell. Spader, who probably shouldn’t have stolen a role from Jeff Goldblum, is nonetheless really likeable here, he hasn’t been this ingratiating before or since (though Alan Shore had his smug charms, I guess). Russell, meanwhile, is well-cast and playing a surprisingly grim character for what was essentially a summer blockbuster. It’s an interestingly layered, brooding characterisation. Jaye Davidson was never really cut out to be an actor (and fairly soon after left the industry to work in modelling), but proves serviceable enough as the androgynous, voice box-aided villain.

As for the film’s FX, let me tell ‘ya, this was state-of-the-art for 1994, people. And y’know what? The FX still hold up OK. Personally I found the back-story of Ra’s ascension and almighty rule to be the most fascinating part, and wondered why a prequel story hasn’t been done yet (Did they cover it at all on the subsequent TV series? I’ve never watched any of them). I could’ve done without scenes of Spader offering the ‘good’ aliens chocolate bars, or the ‘good’ aliens learning the marvel of cigarette lighters, or Russell telling them that Spader is a ‘dweeb’. These scenes are silly (I’ve never liked such ‘fish out of water’ gags) and bring the film down. I also think that as original as the idea of the Stargate actually is, the plot does tend to play like “Star Trek: The Next Generation” mixed with “Return of the Jedi” (but with Spader as C3PO).

Overall this is a fun little film (I’d say either this, “Universal Soldier”, or “The Day After Tomorrow” are Emmerich’s best), nothing earth-shattering, and perhaps a little too corny. Sci-fi fans and wannabe Egyptologists are going to like this a lot more than others, but you could do a lot worse. Scripted by Emmerich and his then writing partner Dean Devlin (“Universal Soldier”, “ID4”).

Rating: B-